This presentation addresses two concerns facing sustainability today; the ownership of pets and the environmental impact of current burial/funeral practices. Pets today have become an integral part of every core family unit, but no one really thinks twice about their carbon footprint (pawprint). Between unsustainable pet foods, toys made from plastic, and pet wastes being improperly disposed of, we are left to question if man's best friend is really Earth's greatest nightmare. Burials, another overlooked sustainability concern, also have a huge impact on the Earth. While a traditional burial is still commonplace among most cultures, some have begun to turn to cremation as the solution. Unfortunately, cremation has as many, if not more negative side effects as a traditional burial. While both of these topics seem unrelated on the surface, it really comes down to traditions and social practices, the largest contributor to sustainability. Once it becomes less socially acceptable to buy large pets, feed them animal byproducts, or bury grandma in a shiny chestnut box, we will continue to face these problems and many more to come.
This presentation addresses two concerns facing sustainability today; the ownership of pets and the environmental impact of current burial/funeral practices. Pets today have become an integral part of every core family unit, but no one really thinks twice about their carbon footprint (pawprint). Between unsustainable pet foods, toys made from plastic, and pet wastes being improperly disposed of, we are left to question if man's best friend is really Earth's greatest nightmare. Burials, another overlooked sustainability concern, also have a huge impact on the Earth. While a traditional burial is still commonplace among most cultures, some have begun to turn to cremation as the solution. Unfortunately, cremation has as many, if not more negative side effects as a traditional burial. While both of these topics seem unrelated on the surface, it really comes down to traditions and social practices, the largest contributor to sustainability. Once it becomes less socially acceptable to buy large pets, feed them animal byproducts, or bury grandma in a shiny chestnut box, we will continue to face these problems and many more to come.